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Authorisation of the Use of TV White Spaces

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Authorisation of the Use of TV White Spaces Authorisation of the Use of TV White Spaces as part of a Dynamic Spectrum Access Framework February 2020 Overview The Communications Authority of Kenya is the regulatory authority for the ICT sector in Kenya with responsibilities in telecommunications, e-commerce, broadcasting, postal/courier services and cybersecurity. The Authority is responsible for managing the numbering and frequency spectrum resources for the country as well as safeguarding consumers of ICT services. The Authority is committed to discharging its mandate to ensure that the ICT sector contributes to the socio-economic growth of Kenya, in line with its vision of a digitally transformed nation. The Authority is considering methods beyond the traditional model of dedicated spectrum licensing to individual operators in order to meet the rapidly increasing demand. In order to achieve this, one of the objectives of the Authority’s Strategic Plan (2018-2023) is to develop a framework for Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA). Implementation of spectrum sharing is a key regulatory intervention that the Authority intends to adopt in order to accommodate varying levels of spectrum demand and over time, this approach may be a key strategy of spectrum management. Effective implementation of a spectrum sharing approach will enable efficient utilisation of the spectrum while protecting existing primary users from harmful interference. Spectrum sharing has the ability to increase capacity as it makes the fallow spectrum available without displacing incumbent users. The Authority envisions that this will be an important way to unlock maximum value from radiocommunication services and serve as a flexible way to reduce artificial spectrum scarcity. The Authority plans to authorise the commercial deployments for TV white spaces (TVWS), mainly for fixed broadband services, in the 470-694 MHz UHF Spectrum band, currently allocated to the broadcasting service on a primary basis as provided in the National Table of Frequency Allocations. TV White Space Devices (WSDs) shall be authorised to operate in areas where specific channels are unused for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) broadcasting. There 1 shall be no changes to the DTT operation, since as a primary service, DTT reception shall be protected from any harmful interference from TVWS emissions. The Authority shall inspect every model of WSD to ensure it meets the Type Approval requirements before installation. The operation of the WSDs shall be managed by the geolocation database(s) qualified by the Authority, which will hold details on the location and operation of DTT transmitters. The communication between TVWS devices and geolocation databases will be performed in accordance with the procedures set out in this document. This proposal for dynamic spectrum access follows previous consultations with stakeholders and trials conducted between 2014 and 2019 on TVWS applications. By this proposal, the Authority demonstrates its commitment to addressing radio frequency spectrum efficiency challenges through innovation and provision of an enabling regulatory environment, which allows optimal use of spectrum for universal access to ICT services. The Authority is conducting a validation exercise together with a group of researchers led by Strathmore University to determine the viability of the framework, ahead of implementation in April 2020. The Authority, therefore, proposes to adopt the framework set out in this document, including the definitions, rules and procedures defining TVWS availability and associated power levels to be controlled by the geolocation databases. The primary reference standard for WSDs, ETSI 301 598, describes compliance assessment for Wireless Access Systems operating in the UHF band. The Authority shall maintain control over the effective implementation of the regulatory framework allowing TVWS operation, subject to market demand and periodic feasibility assessment of costs and benefits for efficient operation. 2 Abbreviations BSD Broadcast Signal Distributor DSA Dynamic Spectrum Access DTT Digital Terrestrial Television ETSI European Telecommunications Standardisation Institute GE06 ITU GE06 Agreement for Digital Broadcasting IEEE Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers IoT Internet of Things ITU International Telecommunications Union PAWS Protocol to Access White Space Database RF Radio Frequency WLANs Wireless Local Area Networks WSD White Space Device TVWS Television White Space WRC ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 3 Definition of Terms White Space A portion of radio frequency spectrum, which is available for a radiocommunication application (service, system) at a given time in a given geographical area on a non-interfering / non-protected basis with regard to other services with a higher priority on the Table of Frequency Allocations TV White Space White Space in the UHF TV broadcast band 470-694 MHz (TVWS) White Space A radiocommunication device that uses white space spectrum. For the Device (WSD) purposes of this document, a white space device obtains operational parameters from a geolocation database qualified by the Communications Authority of Kenya. Coordinated use A group of WSDs use available white space resources obtained with of white spaces parameters from the geolocation database(s) and knowledge of the spectrum usage by other WSDs. Uncoordinated Each WSD independently uses available white space resources obtained use of white with the help of the geo-location database without any additional spaces information about the spectrum usage of other WSDs White Space A geolocation database system that can communicate with WSDs and Database provide information on white space availability considering any operational changes from the protected service. Master WSD A WSD that communicates directly with a geolocation database & with client WSDs. Client WSD A WSD that is only able to communicate with other WSDs, when under the control of a master WSD. 4 Table of Contents 1. Background 1 1.1. Communications Authority of Kenya Legal and Regulatory Framework 1 1.2. Key Responsibilities 1 1.3. Spectrum Management Responsibilities 2 1.4. Telecommunications Equipment Type Approval 2 1.5. Importance of International Approach to Spectrum Management 3 1.6. Application of the Authority’s Mandate in Relation to TV White Spaces 4 2. Spectrum Sharing Opportunity for TVWS Applications 5 2.1. Definition of TV White Spaces 5 2.2. Authorisation of White Space Device Operation 6 2.3. Risks associated with TV White Spaces 7 2.4. Possible Licensing Models for TVWS 8 3. Framework for the Use of TV White Spaces 10 3.1. Introduction and Overview 10 3.2. Key Provisions of the TVWS Framework 11 3.3. Primary Reference Standards 11 3.4. Qualification of Geolocation Databases 12 3.5. Master and Client WSDs 13 3.6. Device Parameters 13 3.7. Operational Parameters 13 3.8. Channel Usage Parameters 13 3.9. Exchange of Parameters between WSDs and Geolocation Databases 14 3.10. Interference Management 15 3.11. Adjustments to Maximum Transmit Power 15 3.12. Requirements to Cease Providing Geolocation Database Services 15 3.13. Transmission in Compliance with Parameters 15 4. TV White Spaces Trials 17 4.1. Introduction 17 4.2. Trial Objectives 18 1 4.3. Trials Timeline 18 4.4. Geolocation Databases Verification 19 4.5. White Space Trial Authorisations 20 4.6. Operators, Databases and Device Partners During Trials 20 4.7. Trial Risks 21 4.8. Geolocation Database Service Model 21 4.9. Transfer of data from the Authority to Geolocation Databases 22 4.10. Geolocation of Devices 22 4.11. Exchange of parameters between WSDs and Geolocation Databases 22 4.12. Interference Management 22 4.13. Objectives and Summary of Outcomes of TVWS Trials 22 4.14. Areas of Improvement of TVWS the Framework 23 5. Requirements for Devices Operating in TV White Spaces 24 5.1. Authorisation 24 5.2. Device Technical and Operational Requirements 24 5.3. Transmitter Unwanted Emissions 24 5.4. Device Communication with a Geolocation Database 25 5.5. Device Characteristics and Parameters 25 5.6. Operational Parameters 27 5.7. Channel Usage Parameters 29 5.8. Requirement to Cease Transmissions 30 6. TV White Spaces Spectrum Fees 31 6.2. Charging Framework 32 6.3. Costs Incurred by the Authority 32 6.4. Costs Incurred by the Geolocation Database Provider 33 7. White Space Devices Coexistence Considerations 34 7.1. Approach to Coexistence 34 7.2. White Space Availability 37 8. Way Forward for Implementation of TV White Space Framework 41 8.1. General 41 8.2. Future Developments 41 8.3. Testing 42 2 8.4. Feasibility Study 42 9. Bibliography 44 Annex I: Rules for use of TV White Spaces 46 1. Overview 46 2. Key Terms 46 3. Permissible Frequencies of Operation 49 4. Geo-location and Database Access 49 5. Geolocation Database Provider(s) 56 6. Technical Requirements for WSDs 58 7. Database Coexistence Calculations 59 Annex II: Coexistence Calculations 60 1. Overview 60 2. General Considerations 61 3. WSD Power Limits 65 4. Candidate WSD Power Limits for Protecting TV Users 67 5. Candidate WSD Power Limits for Protecting Band Edges 72 6. WSD Power Limits for Protecting Country Borders 73 7. WSD Out-of-Channel Emissions 75 8. Spectrum Allocation Metadata 75 9. Tuning Parameters 76 3 List of Tables Table 4.1: Summary of White Space Trials ................................................................................... 20 Table 5.1: Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratios (ACLR) for different Device Emission Classes ........ 25 Table 5.2: Device Parameters ......................................................................................................
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